RAGBRAI XLI Countdown – July 21-27, 2013
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Was this the Hottest Ragbrai ever?
(21 posts)
(11 voices)
Started 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago by fast freddy
Latest reply from Kellysauto 10 months ago ago
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fast freddy -
Just wondering how this year ranks with other HOT years. Or if Wednesday ranks as one of the hottest ever. Who is keeping the records?
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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knees36 -
fast freddy: Just wondering how this year ranks with other HOT years
It was very hot in 1999. Took three days to bag it from Dodge to Rock Rapids and it was still hot when we left RR the next day. It was extremely hot at Decorah. Tar was melting in the cracks of the road from Decorah to Ossian and finally to Manchester and still had tar and dead brown grass on my tires for months after the ride. Don’t recall what it was like in between the other overnights.
P.S. No tent fans in those days…that I can remember anyway.
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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Ragbrai Nation -
Certainly Wednesday had to be one of the hottest days. Last year still ranks 2nd-hottest with all but one day exceeding 90 deg F. This year 5 consecutive days exceeded 90 and being they were the FIRST five days it made the week pretty tough. Ragbrai training never over-rated!
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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cyduke -
I agree, Wednesday was hot; but overall 1999, and 1988 were much hotter -for the entire week. Especially with much more humidity than we saw last week.
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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Sandaltan -
I would give the nod to 1999. I can recall pulling into the campus at Decorah and seeing four young men stretched out on the grass receiving IVs. Never seen that since or before.
RIDE RIGHT
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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Rick Paulos -
1999 for sure. 6 days over 100 with the usual Iowa humidity for those 6 days. Not like this years “dry heat” days.
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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jaywise65 -
1999 was my first RAGBRAI. I agree that it was much hotter. There were only three brutal days this year. That year six days were scorchers. Last year wasn’t hot at all in comparison to ’99 or this year.
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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jake d -
We’ll have to wait and see how this years numbers come out, but this link will give you some idea how previous years compared. Keep in mind these numbers were based on readings from the DM Airport, but they seem to be in line with the notes I’ve taken for the last 23 RAGBRAIs.
http://iowaenvironmentalfocus.org/2011/08/05/isu-second-warmest-ragbrai-yet/
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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knees36 -
Some have said that 1988 was a really hot one as well. I looked at the “Grid Map” and really can’t what remember what that year was like or anything specific about it. Guess it’s still 1999 for me.
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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Sandaltan -
1988 was a drought year for Iowa. I can remember several small towns in Iowa had to rely on the National Guard and private services trucking in water because their wells went dry. ’88 was not a good summer.
RIDE RIGHT
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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knees36 -
Sandaltan:
1988 was a drought year for Iowa.I can remember several small towns in Iowa had to rely on the National Guard and private services trucking in water because their wells went dry.’88 was not a good summer.RIDE RIGHT
Thanks for the memory nudge, ST. I do remember that happening, also seeing cornfields that had just one or two stalks coming up and they were maybe a foot or so high. Hard to find any corn bears in those fields! Cheers.
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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Sandaltan -
Knees36: That fall the Iowa DNR reduced the corn bear bag limit to three and the possession limit to nine. Many small town restaurants resorted to serving Hormel Spam as a substitute menu item. A sad time indeed.
RIDE RIGHT
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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knees36 -
Sandaltan:
Knees36:That fall the Iowa DNR reduced the corn bear bag limit to three and the possession limit to nine.Many small town restaurants resorted to serving Hormel Spam as a substitute menu item.A sad time indeed.RIDE RIGHT
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago ago
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Ragvet33 -
Having ridden every day for the past 33 RAGBRAI’s, I can definitely say that 1999 still will hold the record for overall hottest. That said, Sunday through Wednesday were the singularly 4 hottest consecutive days ever on the ride. Decorah, Iowa on Thursday night 1999 will probably never be exceeded for heat index at night. With no air movement, the heat index hit 123 degrees even at 10 PM. Stories of campers trying to get sleep in the incredibly humid hot air are legendary. Singularly, Tuesday was the overall most brutally hot and headwind combination in the past 40 years. The headwinds that day were a double edged sword. As bad and brutal as they were, they actually cooled riders a bit before riders melted at the end. It was a more difficult day than Saggy Thursday which never really deserved a patch in the first place. Soggy Monday will always be the most brutal day ever on RAGBRAI but Tuesday of this year ranks 2nd. “Torrid Terrible Tuesday”
Posted 10 months ago ago
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jake d -
Ragvet33: It was a more difficult day than Saggy Thursday which never really deserved a patch in the first place. Soggy Monday will always be the most brutal day ever on RAGBRAI but Tuesday of this year ranks 2nd. “Torrid Terrible Tuesday”
I love these type of debates because they are so subjective. It all depends on your personal experience. So, IMO, while it is true that the temps. on Saggy Thursday were not in the same ballpark as Tuesday, the wind on Tuesday was not even in the same LEAGUE as Saggy Thursday.
Having ridden every mile of both days, I still give the nod to Saggy Thursday as being tougher.
Tuesday I saw a lot of very hot, dehydrated, exhausted riders. Saggy Thursday not only broke people down physically, it broke their spirit to ride at all.
Posted 10 months ago ago
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